Individuals interested in conducting research at rare are encouraged to contact us to discuss their research ideas and needs. All researchers must file an Application to Conduct Research prior to initiating their project.
Apply to Conduct ResearchAlannah Grant, MsC Candidate
University of Guelph, Department of Integrative Biology
The urban environment is currently the fastest growing habitat type on the planet. This rapid expansion of the urban landscape poses new stressors and challenges to which wildlife in these environments must respond and adapt. My study examines the affects of the urban environment on eastern grey squirrel stress and brain development in mother squirrels and their pups. To do this I will be comparing the physiology of squirrels found in urban locations to squirrels in non-urban locations, like rare , that provide a non-disturbed, organic habitat in the midst of urbanization.
Dr. Andrew Trant
University of Waterloo, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability
In an era of climate change, understanding changes to forest composition and productivity requires detailed knowledge of factors influencing growth, regeneration and establishment. However, this is complicated by the long-term history of people interacting with the environment. Failing to consider these forests as coupled human-environment systems may impair our ability to understand how they will respond to changes in site and growing conditions. The long-term focus of my lab’s research is to measure past and present patterns of ecosystem services across culturally rich, economically important, and biodiverse landscapes. Through quantitative assessment of past, present and future forests, this research will provide important insight for guiding management and conservation decisions. To accomplish this, I will establish long-term field sites on rare properties. Using a variety of ethnobotanical, dendroecological, and experimental approaches at multiple spatial scales, my research will provide important information on the future of these landscapes.
Dr. Amanda Liczner, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Guelph, School of Environmental Sciences
While foraging in agricultural landscapes, bumble bees can be exposed to different environmental stressors including pesticides which can negatively effect their flight behaviour and memory. We will test the impact of two pesticide classes on bumble bee queen flight behaviour using radio-tracking technology. Radio-tracking will also be used to learn more about bumble bee hibernation habitat.
Sarah MacKell, Lead Biologist
Wildlife Preservation Canada, Native Pollinator Initiative
In 2022, WPC’s research team will continue conducting expert pollinator surveys in spring (April, May, and June) to locate rare and declining bumble bees throughout Ontario, including southern Ontario. WPC will survey sites in the historical range of the endangered rusty-patched bumble bee (B. affinis) and the gypsy cuckoo bumble bee (B. bohemicus) in an attempt to (re-) discover extant populations of this and other rare or declining species (e.g., B. pensylvanicus, and B. terricola), and to gain more information on the composition and status of all bumble bee species in the province. Bumble bee worker surveys may also be conducted throughout the spring, summer, and fall as time and researcher availability permits. During spring surveys field crews will collect yellow-banded bumble bee (B. terricola) and brown-belted bumble bee (B. griseocollis) queens for use in WPC’s conservation breeding program. Fecal sampling will also be conducted in order to assess community health, and the health of the queens brought into the conservation breeding program.
Michael McTavish, Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Toronto, Institute of Forestry and Conservation
Introduced Phragmites is a highly competitive non-native grass that has a variety of undesirable impacts on native biodiversity and ecological processes. Biological control (i.e., the release of highly specific natural enemies) is a promising tool to supplement existing management approaches such as herbicides and mowing. Biological control is now being implemented at a pilot scale in southern Ontario using two stem-boring moth species that kill or stunt the growth of Phragmites. In this project, the two moths will be released as eggs and larvae into patches of Phragmites and monitored for several years. This project will provide information about the impacts of biological control agents on introduced Phragmites, how other vegetation recovers following control, how the moths spread to nearby weed patches, and how the two biological control agents interact with each other when released in the same location. This research will help develop biological control as a safe, effective, and affordable option to help manage one of Canada’s worst invasive plants.
Megan Schmidt, PhD Candidate
University of Waterloo, Department of Geography and Environmental Management
This project aims to understand how carbon is cycled and stored in swamps across Southern Ontario and how environmental factors such as location, water table, and vegetation type impact it. We will look at how much carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are exchanged between the atmosphere and the soil and trees, how much carbon is stored in the soil, trees, and plants, and how much is retained or lost through leaf drop and vegetation die back and decomposition. We will create a carbon balance for the entire ecosystem and better understand the impact swamps may have on climate through greenhouse gas emissions or storage.